RSS Alarm v1.1.0 – A change cometh

RSS Alarm has been out for over a month now, and it’s still surprising how positive a reaction it’s received in the media and from its users. While I’ll readily admit it’s not sold a ground-breaking amount of copies, it’s still sold a lot better than I expected and it’s paid for my web hosting this month.

So what next? How do I drum up some more publicity for RSS Alarm now the initial media coverage has faded away? A very difficult question for a team of developers, let alone a one-man operation. The clue to this answer is that this is version 1.1.0 of RSS Alarm, not v1.0.5. This is a major change.

After some time pondering this question, I’ve decided to release a free “lite” version of RSS Alarm. This version will be supported by banner advertisements, however I’ve been very careful to place these adverts non-intrusively. They will not get in the way of your normal usage, but will still appear prominently at either the top or bottom of the screen. The positioning of these adverts may change in future versions, but I promise not to place them in positions that seem underhand or interfere with your usage of RSS Alarm. If you’re not a fan of adverts, upgrading to the full version for 99p will also get rid of them.

For those who have purchased the full version of this application already, I’d firstly like to thank you for buying RSS Alarm, you’ve really made me smile over this past month. As a reward, not only will you copy remain ad-free for life, you’ll also get any big new features at least one version earlier than the free release. And what better time than now to give you your first reward?

Shake To Snooze is a brand new feature for those who own the paid version. Have you set your alarm a bit too early? Too tired to open your eyes? Just reach over for your phone and give it a shake, and the alarm will be postponed for 10 minutes.

So, to summarise:

I’m releasing a free, ad-supported version of RSS Alarm

Major new features will be exclusive to the paid version for at least one release.

Bug fixes will be released for both versions simultaneously.

Shake to Snooze is new and exclusive to the paid version for release v1.1.0.

Both versions will be up on the marketplace within 24 hours after final testing. I’ll update this post when they’re up.